Editing Islam in Jordan (section)

==Islam in Social Life pre-1980s==
Despite a strong identification with and loyalty to Islam, religious practices varied among segments of Jordan's population.<ref name=":0" /> This unevenness in practice did not necessarily correlate with a rural-urban division or differing levels of education.<ref name=":0" /> The religious observance of some [[Jordan]]ians was marked by beliefs and practices that were sometimes antithetical to the teachings of Islam.<ref name=":0" /> Authorities attributed at least some of these elements to pre-Islamic beliefs and customs common to the area.<ref name=":0" />

In daily life, neither rural dwellers nor urbanites were overly fatalistic.<ref name=":0" /> They did not directly hold God responsible for all occurrences; rather, they placed events in a religious context that imbued them with meaning.<ref name=":0" /> The expression in shari'a Allah often accompanied statements of intention, and the term bismillah (in the name of Allah) accompanied the performance of most important actions.<ref name=":0" /> Such pronouncements did not indicate a ceding of control over one's life or events.<ref name=":0" /> Jordanian Muslims generally believed that in matters that they could control, God expected them to work diligently.<ref name=":0" />

Muslims have other ways of invoking God's presence in daily life.<ref name=":0" /> Despite Islam's unequivocal teaching that God is one and that no being resembles him in sanctity, some people accepted the notion that certain persons (saints) have baraka, a special quality of personal holiness and affinity to God.<ref name=":0" /> The intercession of these beings was believed to help in all manner of trouble, and shrines to such people could be found in some localities.<ref name=":0" /> Devotees often visited the shrine of their patron, especially seeking relief from illness or inability to have children.<ref name=":0" />

Numerous [[spiritual creatures]] were believed to inhabit the world. Evil spirits known as jinn — fiery, intelligent beings that are capable of appearing in human and other forms — could cause all sorts of malicious mischief.<ref name=":0" /> For protection, villagers carried in their clothing bits of paper inscribed with [[Qur'an]]ic verses ([[amulets]]), and they frequently pronounced the name of God.<ref name=":0" /> A copy of the Qur'an was said to keep a house safe from jinn.<ref name=":0" /> The "evil eye" also could be foiled by the same means.<ref name=":0" /> Although any literate Muslim was able to prepare amulets, some persons gained reputations as being particularly skilled in prescribing and preparing them.<ref name=":0" /> To underscore the difficulty in drawing a fine distinction between orthodox and popular Islam, one only needs note that some religious shaykhs were sought for their ability to prepare successful amulets.<ref name=":0" /> For example, in the 1980s in a village in northern Jordan, two elderly shaykhs (who also were brothers) were famous for their abilities in specific areas: one was skilled in warding off illness among children; the other was sought for his skills in curing infertility.<ref name=":0" />

Their reverence for Islam notwithstanding, Muslims did not always practice strict adherence to the [[Five Pillars of Islam|five pillars]].<ref name=":0" /> Although most people tried to give the impression that they fulfilled their religious duties, many people did not fast during Ramadan.<ref name=":0" /> They generally avoided breaking the fast in public, however.<ref name=":0" /> In addition, most people did not contribute the required proportion of alms to support religious institutions, nor was a pilgrimage to [[Mecca]] common.<ref name=":0" /> Attendance at public prayers and prayer in general increased during the 1980s as part of a regional concern with strengthening Islamic values and beliefs.<ref name=":0" />

Traditionally, social segregation of the sexes prevented women from participating in much of the formal religious life of the community.<ref name=":0" /> The 1980s brought several changes in women's religious practices.<ref name=":0" /> Younger women, particularly university students, were seen more often praying in the mosques and could be said to have carved a place for themselves in the public domain of Islam.<ref name=":0" />

Although some women in the late 1980s resorted to unorthodox practices and beliefs, women generally were considered more religiously observant than men.<ref name=":0" /> They fasted more than men and prayed more regularly in the home. Education, particularly of women, diminished the folk-religious component of belief and practice and probably enhanced observance of the more orthodox aspects of Islam.<ref name=":0" />